From Disney Princesses to giant chess, what to expect from the 2024 Edmond Arts Festival

From Disney Princesses and giant board games to henna tattoos and a "Banjo Farm," the 46th Annual Downtown Edmond Arts Festival promises to bring a wide range of creative fun to the downtown streets of Edmond.

More than 150 artists from across the country, a veritable cornucopia of food options and an array of children's activities — plus a free shuttle to ease people's parking problems — are planned for the free May 3-5 event, which is organized by the Downtown Edmond Business Association.

"It started out with just a couple of merchants saying, 'Hey, can we get more people downtown?' So, they had artists just sitting on the sidewalk in front of businesses, and it's just grown from there," said Festival Director Michelle Schaefer.

"The money that we make from this goes to our mission to promote the merchants of downtown Edmond and to bring people down here to shop in downtown Edmond."

Here's what you need to know about this year's Downtown Edmond Arts Festival:

When and where is the Downtown Edmond Arts Festival?

Hours for the festival are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 3-4 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 5. The event is free to the public.

Broadway is closed from Second Street to Campbell Street for the festival.

What kinds of visual arts will be shown and sold during the event?

The juried fine arts showcase will feature 157 artists from 15 states. Oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, jewelry, pottery and photography will be sold and shown.

Plus, a dedicated section of First Street will spotlight artisans and crafters who will show off their skills in leather, wood, resin, glass, metal and fabric.

More than 30 artists are new to this year's festival, Schaefer said.

"I won't call it a problem, but so many of our artists love our event, they all want to come back. So, out of all the spaces I have, 30 is not a lot. ... But we have artists who've been with us for 20, 30 years, and they keep coming back," she said.

The colorful painting "Flamingos," by Holly Glenn of Liberty Hills, Texas, is featured on this year's festival T-shirt.

What live entertainment is planned for the 2024 Downtown Edmond Arts Festival?

The long-running festival spotlights a wide array of central Oklahoma entertainers, from the Round Barn Ramblers to the Calamity Jane Cloggers.

The main stage under the pavilion in the Festival Market Place will feature headliners Lucas Ross with the Oklahoma Opry Band at 7 p.m. Friday, May 3 and The Wise Guys at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 4.

A popular local TV personality and musician, Ross will return to the festival at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5 to perform his musical comedy show "Banjo Farm." School groups, dance troupes and local bands also will play the Festival Market Place stage during the three-day event.

Plus, three street corner tents will showcase solo performers like cellist Sam Kahre, Native American musician Tone Gyah Dae and beloved Oklahoma City guitarist Edgar Cruz.

What children's activities will be offered at the free festival?

The children's tent in the Festival Market Place will offer a free art project, face painting, henna tattoos and balloon twisting by Keith Coast.

Along with having Disney Princesses, Batman and Spider-Man make appearances inside the children's tent, Character Connection Co. will present its "Tangled" sing-along on the festival's primary stage at 3 p.m. May 4.

Giant versions of chess, checkers, Jenga and more also will be set up, and children can add to the chalk garden adjacent to the Festival Market Place stage.

"The stage and the audience only take up about half of ... that pavilion," Schaefer said. "Last year, I bought a couple of big cases of chalk and just put it out there. And children crawl all over the place, and they just draw on the floor. And they love it."

What food vendors and restaurants will be serving tasty treats during the festival?

Attendees will find an array of familiar festival foods on the menu at the long-running event, including funnel cakes, corn dogs and Indian tacos.

Oklahoma vendors on the roster for the 2024 Downtown Edmond Arts Festival include Kona Ice, Let’s Do Greek, Shuckin’ Delicious Roasted Corn, Wondervan Pops, Daisy Mae’s Icy Creamery, Rickey’s Jerky, Urban Wineworks and Whispering Meadows Winery. Othello's of Edmond will operate a beer trailer and a hot dog cart.

But Othello's and several other downtown Edmond restaurants also will be serving festivalgoers, including Oak City Pizza, Railyard Pie Co., Remix Ramen and more.

"They offer specials, and a lot of them that maybe aren't open during festival hours are going to be open. ... People want fair food, but then also people say, 'Hey, we're down here. I haven't eaten at this restaurant. Let's go try that.' So it's just a way for restaurants — and really all the stores — to showcase what they have," Schaefer said.

How does the free shuttle help alleviate parking problems during the festival?

For the third year, a free shuttle will run from the University of Central Oklahoma to downtown Edmond throughout the festival.

Visitors can park in the UCO lots on the west side of First and University to board the bus for the three-minute ride to Hurd and Littler, just a short walk from the festival grounds.

The shuttle is designed to help alleviate the problem of finding parking in downtown Edmond during the event.

"With the construction from where we're building a new city complex, that has taken up a large amount of parking. ... So, it's been a challenge in the past. But it'll really be a challenge this year, because by the time all the workers come down here and all the artists come down here and the food truck people and the volunteers, it'll be really hard for people, by the time the festival opens, to find a place to park," Schaefer said. "So, this is just the perfect solution."

How can people get more information about the Downtown Edmond Arts Festival?

For more information on the Downtown Edmond Arts Festival, go to https://downtownedmondok.com/downtown-edmond-arts-festival and https://www.facebook.com/DowntownEdmondArtsFestival.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 2024 Edmond Arts Festival to feature 150+ artists, music, Batman and more